Do you know how many American veterans are buried in Elkhart County? Do you know who were among the first?

It’s hard to know exactly how many, but a local historian has an estimate.

Patricia Johnson, a local historian who has worked with the Elkhart County Historical Museum and the Genealogy Society, said approximately 20,000 veterans are buried in Elkhart County.

Liz Fisher, curator of collections at the historical museum, said Johnson started her research in the year 2000. But while she got good results from the earlier American wars, it became more difficult for her to collect data from the Civil War and World War I.

Johnson worked with the local veteran affairs posts to gather data. Other local organizations can help with additional data.

Cemeteries, on the other hand, do not keep track of veterans buried in the county.

The Elkhart chapter, also known as the William Tuffs Chapter, of the Daughters of the American Revolution has a list of five American Revolution veterans who may be among the first to be buried in the county.

Sherry Welty, one of the members of the DAR, provided the following list, which has the name of the veterans buried, when they were born, when and where they died, where they are buried and where they served:

William Tuffs

Born: 1750, near Boston

Died: Sept. 5, 1847, near Middlebury

Buried: Bonneyville Cemetery, Bristol, and is marked by a large stone that has two plaques provided by the Improved Order of Red Men and the Sons of The American Revolution.

Service: William Tuffs claims to have taken part in the Boston Tea Party, served in the Revolution, and the War of 1812.